The court heard that on December 31 last year police were called to Asda in Portadown where three males had been detained. This was after a man had been seen leaving the store with two boxes of Stella beer, valued at £24, without paying for them.

The driver of the car the men were in had a bottle of vodka which he could account for but the defendant, who was a rear seat passenger, could not account for the two boxes of beer found in the boot of the vehicle.

Savcic, who was under the influence of alcohol, said he had taken the boxes because he was fed up waiting in the long queues in the shop because it was New Year’s Eve. The beer was fit for re-sale. A defending solicitor said he was a diabetic and with alcohol taken his sugar levels were low so he acted impulsively.